Recipe Box: Butternut Squash Risotto

It has been so long! Things have been mad here. The kitten has been a little ill and my boyfriend has been setting up a new business all of his own so I've been kept busy even outside of work.

But at last, I finally got to do a little cooking yesterday. I felt like something hearty and comforting after the weather took a cold turn so I cooked up a little risotto! Bonus: it's fairly healthy!

This recipe is about enough for two people.

Ingredients:

• 200g butternut squash cut into small cubes.
• 1 tbsp olive oil.
• 50g broccoli, sliced lengthways.
• Half an onion, finely chopped.
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped.
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped.
• 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes.
• 150g risotto rice.
• 65ml white wine.
• 500ml vegetable stock.
• Pepper for seasoning.
• 30g soft cheese.

To the kitchen!

• Preheat the oven to 200oC.
• Put the butternut squash into the roasting tin and mix in half of the olive oil.
• Cook for 10 minutes and then add the broccoli and cook for another 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes or until it becomes soft. 
• Add the garlic, sage and chilli flakes and cook for another minute.
• Stir in the risotto rice, pour in the wine and simmer until the wine is all absorbed.
• Stir in the vegetable stock a little at a time and cook for around 25 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender. 
• Season with pepper.
• Stir through the cream cheese and the vegetables and serve.
• Enjoy!

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Mushroom Risotto

Yesterday I made my first ever risotto. Yum! I'm looking forward to making many more ;)

This recipe makes a huge amount of risotto and rice should not be reheated so if you're cooking for two then I would definitely halve all of the below ingredients.

Ingredients

• 315g Aburrio rice.
• 950ml chicken or vegetable stock.
• 4 tbsp butter.
• 2 shallots, chopped. 
• 120g white wine. 
• 150g frozen peas.
• 150g broccoli, chopped.
• 250g shitake mushrooms, chopped.
• 43g almonds, chopped.

To the kitchen!

• Rinse the rice in a bowl and drain and rinse several times to get rid of all the rice dust. Set aside.
• Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. 
• Melt the butter on a high heat in a deep frying pan and then add the shallots, cooking for four or five minutes or until the onion is soft. 
• Stir the drained rice into the butter until it's all nicely coated and cook for two minutes. 
• Pour in the white wine and cook on high for about three minutes or until all of the alcohol has burnt off. 
• Stir in the stock little by little and then add the peas, broccoli and mushrooms and continue to cook on a medium heat. 
• Meanwhile, lightly toast the almonds until nicely browned. 
• Once the rice is tender, serve up and sprinkle the almonds over the risotto. 
• Enjoy! :)

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Tomato and Basil Gnocchi

 Mmmm... Gnocci. One of my favourites! But what to have with it? Well, here's a simple suggestion. It should be enough for around four servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil.
• 1 onion, chopped.
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped.
• 30g fresh basil.
• 800g chopped tomatoes.
• 1 tsp brown sugar. 
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. 
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs. 
• 1000g gnocchi.
• 25g pine nuts. 
• 2 tbsp cheese, grated.

To the kitchen! 

• Preheat the oven to 200oC.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion until softened for around 5 to 10 minutes. 
• Add the garlic and fry for a further minute. 
• Stir in half of the basil, the chopped tomatoes, the sugar, the Worcestershire sauce and the mixed herbs. 
• Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. 
• Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi by boiling it in another pan for a few minutes until the gnocchi rises to the surface of the water. 
• Lightly toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan. 
• Stir the gnocchi through the sauce.
• Serve up into four bowls and top with the pine nuts, cheese and the remaining basil.
• Enjoy!

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Vegetarian Tortilla Lasagne!

I adore Mexican food and I could eat lasagne forever so why not combine the two? Sound crazy? It's not as insane as it sounds, I promise! It's actually super tasty :)

Introducing the Tortilla Lasagne...

Want to make this beast? Just follow the instructions below :) It serves between two and four depending on just how hungry you are!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil.
• 1 onion, finely chopped.
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped.
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
• 1 tsp ground cumin.
• 1 tbsp dried coriander. 
• 780g pinto beans, drained.
• 400g chopped tomatoes.
• 250ml vegetable stock. 
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced.
• 325g tin of sweetcorn, drained.
• 4 flour tortilla wraps. 
• 100g cheese.

To the kitchen!

• Preheat the oven to 200oC.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion until soft for about 5 minutes.
• Mix in three-quarters of the chilli as well as the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the drained pinto beans, the chopped tomatoes and the vegetable stock.
• Simmer for ten minutes until the majority of the stock has evaporated.
• Add in three-quarters of both the sweetcorn and the spring onions. 
• Place a tortilla wrap in the base of a round cake tin.
• Spoon in a quarter of the bean mixture, sprinkle over a quarter of the cheese and place another wrap on top of this.
• Again, spoon another quarter of the bean mixture and cheese and place another tortilla wrap on top. Repeat twice so you end up with the last of the beans and cheese on top of the fourth tortilla. 
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Once out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining chilli, sweetcorn and spring onions over the top and voila, you're ready to go!

Enjoy :) 

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Okra Stir Fry

Hi there!

So, for a while now I've been seeing this strange-looking vegetable in the supermarket and I've been wondering what on Earth it is. My sources told me that it's something called 'okra'. I'm a huge fan of vegetables so I couldn't let it go untasted for too much longer ;)

So, I bought a few lady fingers and used this recipe to help me try okra. I wasn't sure what to expect because I kept seeing words like 'slimy' and 'fuzzy' pasted all over the interweb but okra is seriously yummy! I loved the sliminess, how weird is that? I'll definitely be using this strange but delicious vegetable again soon :)

Here are my before and after photos!

Before - a pretty yet fuzzy vegetable

After - part of a delicious stir fry :)

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Spinach Lasagne

Hello again!

I still have no internet access at home but plodding on anyway. I do miss it so!

The cold has started to truly set in and Autumn is here, I am loving it :) Any excuse to wrap up and eat comfort food ;)

I finally got stuck into one of the many recipes I've been patiently waiting to try from a very special book I read earlier this year. This lasagne was so simple to make and perfect for a night in when it's pouring buckets outside. My man even loved it and asked for seconds even though he's not a big fan of melted cheese or spinach, though lucky for me he's willing to try anything I cook up. No regrets this time!

You can find the original recipe online here but I can't recommend reading the entire book enough.

If, like me, you're not used to dealing with cups, oz and lbs, these are the measurements of the ingredients I used. They may not be particularly accurate conversions but they worked out fine :)

• 200g lasagne sheets ( I couldn't find noodles in my store but these worked just as well).
• 200g chopped spinach.
• 500g tomato sauce.
• 250g fresh ricotta.
• 250g mozzarella.

Enjoy!!

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Root Vegetable Soup

Hi there!

I made a huge pot of soup as I have a run of night shifts this week and it gets pretty chilly in our over-air-conditioned ice box of a suite! The very simple recipe below is enough for around 4-6 bowls.

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons oil

750g carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 onions, chopped into chunks

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

900ml stock (chicken or vegetable)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To the kitchen!

• Heat the oil in a large pan.
• Add all of the vegetables and toss well, coating them in oil to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle turmeric and turn the vegetables to coat.
• Add the stock, bring the soup to boil and cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
• If you like your soup to be smooth, stick it into the food processor for 15 seconds. If you prefer your soup chunkier (like me!) mash it with a fork to break the vegetable chunks up nicely :)
• Season to taste and voila! You have yourself a tasty yet filling soup.

Hannah xo

Recipe Box: Easy Bean and Veggie Burritos!

Hello folks!

I found this recipe over at Spark People a couple of years and it has since become a favourite go-to dish of mine. It's quick, simple and inexpensive. I often whip up a batch before a good run of night shifts :) You can make it as hot or as mild as you like. Once I'd made it a few times, I became less finicky about the ingredients portions and just started piling it all in! I like it super hot ;) Follow the instructions below to make enough for 4 tortilla wraps. 

Ingredients

443g can black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained.

1 cup frozen sweetcorn. 

1/2 green pepper, chopped.

226g salsa.

1 teaspoon chilli powder.

1 dash hot sauce.

4 whole wheat tortillas.

As much cheese as you like!

Non-stick spray

To the kitchen!

• Drain the beans and rinse well.
• Spray a medium-sized saucepan with a little non-stick spray and put it on a low heat.
• Add the beans and mash them with a fork, leaving a few beans in one piece. 
• Add the sweetcorn, green pepper, salsa, chilli powder and hot sauce. Mix it all up on a medium heat until the mixture is hot. 
• Warm up the tortillas according to the package instructions.
• Spread a quarter of the bean mixture onto one of the tortillas and add the desired amount of cheese.
• Fold in both sides of the tortilla and roll up into a secure wrap. 
• Continue to do the same with the other three and enjoy!

Recipe Box: Dal Palak

Meet Dal Palak. It's a lovely Indian curry made from lentils and spinach and it comes with a nice spicy kick! You can make it soupy or more like a stew, depending on how you feel at the time :)

I adapted an American recipe to UK standards and yummmm! I had a technical hitch while making this; the lights blew out as I started cooking and so I made the curry in candlelight. Who said romance was dead?! The recipe makes a generous amount (I had to split it into two pans!) and would serve around 8 people.

Ingredients

Olive oil.
1 large onion, diced.
2 medium-sized potatoes, cubed.
1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped.
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
2 teaspoons coriander.
1 tablespoon garam masala.
2 teaspoons chilli powder.
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes.
295g spinach, washed and sliced into ribbons (even Popeye would be satisfied!).
190g lentils.
700ml water.
Salt.

To the kitchen!

• Heat up a spoonful of oil in a large soup pan over a medium heat, adding in the onions and a pinch of salt when the oil is ready. 
• When the onions are looking translucent, throw in the potatoes and another pinch of salt, and cook until the edges are starting to appear a bit see-through (technical term ;).
• Clear a space in the middle of the pan and add in the ginger, garlic, spices and a little more salt.
• Cook for around 30 seconds and then stir it all up. 
• Add the tomatoes complete with juices, the spinach and the lentils and stir to combine all whilst adding in the water.
• Bring to the boil then allow to simmer for around 45 minutes, making sure that the lentils and potatoes are cooked through. 
• Et voila! Bon appetit :)

Recipe Box: Vegetarian Chilli

Check out what I made! It was delicious served up with tacos and rice :) And it kept us well fed for two days straight. 

Yummy!

The easy Jamie Oliver recipe can be found here